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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. land — to come down
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. stand — to bear
  9. land — ground
  10. tube — a container
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rash — a series
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. craft — boats
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — in music
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rash — hasty
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. scale — size or range
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. race — a contest
  23. land — a country
  24. race — humankind

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com